HISTORY

It is believed that the Portuguese discovery of the island took place after the maps of Terceira had been drawn. Faial was probably named after the large amount of fire trees (faias-da-terra) that covered the island. The first official settlers, from Portugal and Flanders, must have arrived around 1465 as part of a failed expedition to find tin and silver ores. Two years later. Josse Van Huertere, a Flemish noble, returned to Faial attracted by the fertility of the soil and became, in 1468, the Portuguese donatory captain. Under a royal decree issued by King Afonso V, he brought more people from Flanders to live in the Flamengos valley before moving to Horta.

The foreigners introduced woad. The export of this dye plant and of wheat was the main pillar of the economy during two centuries. In 1583, when Faial was occupied by the Spanish and pirates were attacking it, mainly french and english, the island witnessed a period of dilapidation of its wealth and heritage. The 1672-73 volcanic eruption also causes the destruction in the northwest of the island.

During the 17th century, after the Portuguese Restoration of the throne, there were better times as Horta, with its sheltered harbour, became a navigational stopover between Europe and the American Continent. Wine and spirits, made from the grapes of the islands of Pico, São Jorge and Graciosa, were exported to mainland Portugal, Europe and the British colonies. During the 18th century, the island was involved in the production and the export of oranges, which was then the main financial source of the archipelago. The harbour of Horta enjoyed a golden era, supplying the steam boats crossing the Atlantic Ocean and the North American whaling fleets.

During the 19th century, infesting diseases decimated the vineyards and the orange groves within one decade. But given its location, the island became a crucial centre for telecommunications. The transmission of information between North America and Europe was done via submarine cables that passed by Horta, whose first station dates back to 1893. Successively, various international companies installed submarine cables linking the continents via Faial. Additionally, the island gained a new dimension in early 20th century when the Horta Weather Observatory opened in 1915.

Aviation also took advantage of the privileged location of Faial for the stopover of the first sea planes crossing the North Atlantic. The first one stopped in Horta after World War I in 1919. During the 1930s and 40s, the airlines of Germany, Britain, France and North America chose Faial as the site for alighting their sea planes.

To this day Faial has benefited from its geographic location. The Horta Marina, opened in 1986, is one of the world’s most famous harbours. With the establishment of the autonomic model of government, the city of Horta became the seat of the Regional Parliament of the Azores and followed the regional economic trend, becoming a services-based economy.

GEOGRAPHY

The 21 km in length and 14 km at the maximum width provide the 173.1 sq. km of the island of Faial with a pentagonal shape. Faial is the third most populous island of the Archipelago with 14,994 inhabitants (2011 data). The island is part of the Central Group and is the westernmost corner of the so-called “Triangle Islands”, which also include São Jorge and Pico, the latter just 6 km away from Faial. The island’s highest point is the Cabeço Gordo (1,043 m of altitude) in the Caldeira area located at 38º34’34’’ latitude north and 28º42’47’’ longitude west.

FOOD AND DRINKS

One of the most typical dishes of Faial is stewed octopus in wine, which is also common to the other islands of the archipelago. Fish is very important, especially stewed or served in a broth. Bread and corn cake are preferentially included during meals. As for meats, there are the local sausages, eaten either as a meal, when served with taro root, or just as a snack. The recipe for boiled beef tastes better when spiced, especially with pepper, cumin and cinnamon to stiffen the broth in which the beef is going to be cooked.

As for pastries, the Fofas do Faial are typical: this aroma pastries include fennel seed and are baked before being stuffed with a cream based on egg yolks, milk, sugar, flower and lemon peel.

FESTIVITIES

São João Festival takes place on 24 June, a festivity which dates back to the settlement of the island by nobles from Terceira Island. The event includes the gathering of brass bands coming from all over the island that meet on the square Largo Jaime Melo, where the chapel built by the most pious devotees of São João is located. Concerts, folk dances and parades fill the day. Family members and groups of friends come together to either enjoy an open air meal or eat at the food stalls and enjoy the delicacies of the local cuisine.

Despite the Holy Ghost Festival also being traditionally celebrated on Faial, the biggest religious festival is the Nossa Senhora das Angústias Festival. The streets of Horta are filled with the procession and popular celebrations on the sixth Sunday after Easter Sunday, a tradition that also goes back to the time of settlement when a statue was brought from Flanders. On 1 February of each year the town hall fulfils a centuries-old promise, with a procession and prayers in the Nossa Senhora da Graça church at the Praia do Almoxarife. This tradition dates back to 1718 when the people were frightened by the volcanic eruption which took place in Santa Luzia, Pico Island.

In August, the blue sea dominates the festivities. On the 1st, to celebrate the Senhora da Guia Festival, a parade of ships escorts the statue of the Virgin from the sands of Porto Pim to the harbour of Horta. The festivities continue during the Semana do Mar (Sea Week). This festivity was initially dedicated to yachtsman, but now it is shared by locals and visitors. The extensive programme includes music shows, handicrafts exhibitions, cuisine fair, whaling boat regattas and various sporting activities that enliven the bays of Horta and Porto Pim.